Exploring the experiences of heritage speakers as world language teachers of Spanish: Professional experiences and challenges

This follow-up study explored the experiences of eight Latina heritage speakers (HSs), who were initially enrolled in world language teacher preparation programs at two educational institutions in the United States and who became in-service Spanish teachers. Using data from interviews, classroom observations, and a focus group, this qualitative multiple-case study investigated their motivation to stay in the profession, professional development needs, challenges they experienced as teachers of Spanish, and how their self-perceptions and attitudes about their use of Spanish evolved from pre- to in-service teacher stages regarding their proficiency, use of code-switching and register, and knowledge of grammar. Findings highlight the importance of supporting HSs as an essential component of teacher education programs and the workforce in world language teaching; the need for coursework that illuminates register differences but always values and legitimizes their own way of speaking; the need for world language education and Spanish language faculty in teacher preparation programs to establish common, coordinated goals for preservice teachers; and academic training for HSs in pedagogy and sociolinguistics, not only at the preservice teacher level, but also as professional development for all members in world language departments, in both K-12 and higher education settings. Although heritage speakers' (HSs) experiences as language learners have been broadly studied, those of HSs who are in-service world language teachers have been overlooked. What motivates HSs to stay in this profession? What challenges do they experience as teachers of Spanish? What are their professional development needs? How do their perceptions and attitudes about their use of Spanish evolve from pre- to in-service teacher stages?